Automatic coupling



W. W. PHILLIPS.

AUTOMATIC COUPLING. APPLICATION FILED DEC. 23. I918.

Patented Aug. 10, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

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AUTOMATIC COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED nEc.23, 191s.

Patented Aug. 10, 1920.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

\ nil/100154 52? UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AUTOMATIC COUPLING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 10, 1920.

Application filed December 23, 1918. Serial No. 268,113.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, \VILLIAM WV. PHILLIPS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Richmond, in the county of Henrico and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Couplings, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention comprehends generally improvements in that class of inventions known as railway draft appliances and more particularly has reference to an automatic coupler.

It is the primary aim and object of this invention to provide a device of the above mentioned character of the J anney-type designed to be normally arranged in an open position, the component parts being so related to each other that as soon as one coupling member is uncoupled from its companion coupling member, both members will automatically assume an open position in addition to the fact that the said members are capable of being automatically locked together upon engagement with each other.

As an additional object this invention contemplates the provision of a device of the above mentioned character wherein the component parts are novel in construction and embody means for automatically setting the knuckle in an open position subsequent to the release of the locking catch and for automatically moving or setting the knuckle and the catch in a locked position upon engagement of a pair of the coacting coupling members, thus obviating the necessity of a person walking between adjacent cars to place the knuckle in an open position.

The invention also embraces the provision of cooperative means on the knuckle and the draw head for insuring of the maintenance of coacting members in engaged or coupled positions even if one or both of the knuckle pivot pins become broken.

It 'is a more specific object of this invention to provide a device of the above mentioned character wherein the setting memher is oi improved construction and has acting in conjunction therewith resilient means i for normally holding said setting member in a forward position; and to also improve the construction of the catch as well as the head and the knuckle.

Among the other aims and objects of this invention may be recited the provision of a device of the above mentioned character wherein the number of parts is small, the construction simple, the cost of production low, and the efiiciency high.

The improvements in the details and arrangement of parts will be apparent from an lnspection of the accompanying drawings, 1n connection with the specific description hereinafter contained and wherein the preferred embodiment of the invention is disclosed for the purpose of imparting a full understanding of the invention.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of one of the improved couplmg members partly in elevation,

Fig. 2 is a horizontal longitudinal sectional view of the same, partly in elevation,

F1g. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional detail through the setting member,

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective detail of the setting member, and

Fig. 6 is a front end elevational view of one of the coupling members.

Similar characters of reference are employed in all of the above described views, to indicate corresponding parts.

Referring now, more particularly, to the accompanying drawings there is provided one of my improved coupling members which may be said to consist generally of a draw-bar 1 the outer end of which forms a head 2 to one side of which a knuckle 3 is pivoted for horizontal swinging movement as by a pin 4. The head 2 and the bar 1 are providedwith an inwardly and longitudinally extending bore 5 and the portion of the bore in the head has the lower wall enlarged to form a substantially rectangular guide way or chamber 6. In addition, the central part of the head is recessed as at 7 to accommodate the tail portion 8 of the knuckle 3 and the side wall of this recess is formed with a'lug 9 for coacting with a catch 10 which is integral with and projects from the adjacent edge of the tail portion of the knuckle to insure of the maintenance of the knuckle in a locked or engaged position in a manner that will hereinafter become apparent, even though the pin 4 becomes broken.

ing movement by means of a transverse pin 12 in a recess '13 formed in the upper part of part of the catch. near the forward edge 10.

thereof and this link formsa part of the customary releasing mechanism for the catch which is mounted on the car (not shown). The rear edge of the catch 11 is inclined at 17 toward the loweredge for aYpnrpose which will presently appear while the lower edge contacts with the bottom of the chamber 6 in a manner which will presontlyiapp ear. In connection with the above itis to he observed that when the operating mechanism for the catch is operated to move the catch into a rai ed position the inclined edge 17 is adapted to lie flush with the ad j'acentoriupper'edge-of the bore 5 for a pinpose which will presently appear;

)Vith a view toward providingmeans for automatically moving the knuckle into an open'position subsequentto'the raising or releasing of the catch 11 and for automatically moving or setting the knuckle in a locked position immediately subsequent to the engagement of a companion coupling member there is provided an improved actuator indicated in itsentirety by the numeral 18. In reducing. this feature of the invention to practice, the actuator be said to consist of a substantially rectangular plate-like body 19 slidably accommodated in the chamberor recess 6 for longitudinal sliding movement. Theouter portion of'this body19 is enlarged as at 20 while the front edge vis slightly curved-and is positioned at times, slightly in the rear ofthe knuckle 8 and in addition is formed on its upper surface and at its front edge with an-abutment or head :21 designed to be engaged by the knuckleof a companionconpling member (notsshown) and forced rearwardly so as to be accommodated within-a recess 22 which communicates with theouter portion of the chamber 6. Near the front edge of the body there isprovided an opening 23 in which is engaged a pin or lug 24 carried by and 'depending from the tail portion of the knuckle opposite 'the catch 10 and by this arrange- ,me-nt it is. apparcntthat when the body of the actuator is moved rearwardly, the pin beingv engaged in the slot, causes the tail portion of-the knuckle to move within: the recess 7 so that-the catch 10 will engage the lug 9 while the opposite straight edge 25 of thei tail portion will lie flush with the adjacent side wall of the bore 5 as shown in V Fig. '2 to consequently permit the locking similar to the contour of the bore 5.

contacting relation with the bottom of the chamber 6. in thismanner the tail portlon of the knuckle is held against movement and as a result the knuckle 8 and the knuckle (not shown) of the companion coupler memher are held in locked position. Another abutment head 26 is formed on the upper surface and near the rear edge of the body 19, one side edge of this head lying flush with the adjacent side edge of the plate-like body,'the head having a cross sectional shapp i stem 27 is integral with and extends longitudinally from the rear edge of the head 26 and is positioned within the bore 5 while also arranged in the bore and about the stem 27 is a'coiled expansion spring 28 the respective ends of which bear against the inner end of the bore and therear edge'of the head 26, the tension of the spring being such as to normally hold the actuator 18 forwardly when the coupling member 1 is disengaged from its companion coupling member (not shown). In this connection it is to be understood that when the knuckle 3 is in ailocked positionthat the spring 28 is compressed but as soon as the operating mechanism for the catch 11 and of which the link 15 forms'a part, is operated to raise the catch the actuator 18 will start to move forwardly under the expansive action of the spring, the rear curved edge of the opening 23 operatingagainst the pin vor lug 24 causing an initial opening. movement of the knuckle 3 and as the rear edge of the tail portion 8 of the knuckle is curved as at 29 this curved edge will be engaged bythe curved forward edge 30 of the head 26 to insure of the swinging of the knuckle into a fully opened position. It is also to be understood that by this peculiar construction and relation of the curved forward edge 30 of gagement of the curved edge: 30 with the inclined edge 17 of the catch 11 to move the catch 11 into a raised or released position actuating of course the operating mechanism therefor, (not shown).

In order to prevent loss of the pine in the event that it becomes broken, the lower portion of the head is formed with a boss 31 about the opening for theipin. 4 and in turn is provided with a transverse key-way 82 intersecting the opening in the boss in which is fitted a transverse retaining pin 33 also engageable through a transverse opening in the pin 4.

In useyassuming that the parts have been assembled in the manner described and that the coupling is arranged in an open position when the knuckle (not shown) of the companion coupling strikes the abutting head 21 on the body 19 the latter will be moved inwardly against the tension of the spring 28 and as the pin or lug 24 is engaged in the opening 23 the knuckle will be automatically swung to a closed position and as the straight edge 25 alines with the adjacent edge of the bore 5 the catch 11 may be moved to locked position, that is, into engagement with the straight edge and transversely through the bore and the chamber 7 and into contacting relation with the bottom of the chamber as shown in Fig. 1. The catch 10 of course engages the lug 9 and acts to retain theparts in locked posi tion even though the pin 4 becomes broken while the abutting head 26 is arranged par tially within the bore. To unlock the parts suitable operating mechanism (not shown) for the catch 11 is actuated to raise the catch whereupon the spring 28 will act to extend the actuator 18 outwardly and during this movement the abutting head 26 will contact with the rear curved edge 29 of the tail piece 8 immediately subsequent to the initial movement given the tail piece by the rear wall of the opening 23 contacting with the pin 24, and the curved edge 30 will ride upon the curved edge 29 to move the knuckle into a full open position. Of course, if the catch 11 in the other companion coupling (not shown) is actuated first, then the spring 28 and the abutting head 26 will coact with each other to raise the catch 11 automatically, as is apparent.

It is believed in view of the foregoing description that a further detailed description of the operation of the invention is entirely unnecessary: Likewise, it is believed that the advantages of the invention will be readily apparent.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. It is also to be understood that the language used in the following claim is intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention, which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is

A coupling of the type indicated includ ing a draw-bar having a head formed thereon, the said head provided with a bore communicating with a corresponding bore in the draw bar and further provided with intercommunicating recesses, a knuckle pivoted in the head and provided with a tail portion accommodated in one of the recesses in the head, the tail portion formed with a curved face, a lug on the tail portion, an actuating member in one of the recesses in the head, having a central opening provided.

with curved edges and receiving the lug on the knuckle for imparting an initial openmg movement to the knuckle, a head on the actuating member disposed rearwardly of the central opening and having a curved face for engaging the curved portion of the tail portion of the knuckle to complete the opening movement of the knuckle, a shank on the actuating member received in the bore in the head and draw-bar, a spring embracing the shank for moving the actuating member to place the knuckle in an open position, a catch in one of the recesses in the head received in the central opening in the actuating member and engaging the tail portion of the knuckle to hold the same in a closed position, one of the faces of the catch being inclined and adapted for engagement with the curved face of the head on the actuating member whereby to automatically move the catch to an open position with respect to the knuckle when a coactive coupling is thrown to an open position, and means for manually moving the catch to open the knuckle for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature hereto.

WILLIAM V. PHILLIPS. 

